More than 550 businesses opened up in Tagbilaran City from May 2020 up to May 2021, according to acting City Treasurer Christine Bitoy. Bitoy said that the total capital infused by these businesses in 2020 alone, is worth P727 million.
The acting City Treasurer said the capital infusion happened amidst the pandemic where people were advised to observe basic health protocols like staying home and wearing masks.
City Mayor John Geesnell Yap II for his part expressed optimism with the business trend in the city and looks forward to seeing more businesses setting up shop in the future.
“This pandemic has been difficult for everybody, especially to the business owners. Economic activity has been stalled by the strict health protocols imposed to protect our well-being. Sadly, these restrictions literally went against the core of business, that is, to attract customers. In Tagbilaran, we made it a point to provide an encouraging climate for businesses. Despite the extreme challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, Tagbilaran City aimed to restore and increase the business operations thru significant and sustained innovative actions,” Mayor Yap emphasized.
To encourage customers to engage in local transactions, Tagbilaran City is focusing its efforts in establishing consumer confidence, the City Media Bureau said.
The partnership between the City Government and Step-Up Consulting aims to figure out the recovery plan of the City once the pandemic is over.
A rapid impact assessment under Prof. Michael Canares was conducted in the city. The results of the rapid assessment provided a clear roadmap towards the city’s economic recovery, the City Media Bureau mentioned in its report.
The City Government was assisted in the assessment by the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Sustainable Urban Resilience for Growth and Equity (SURGE) project led by Dr. Rosalinda Paredes and as this developed, the City Government strengthened the implementation of health protocol and outlined specific health requirements for the business establishments to operate under the new normal, the report bares.
Coupled with various initiatives from the City Government like regular disinfection, social distancing markers in public markets, handwashing stations, mandatory real time-polymerase chain reaction tests (RT-PCR) for incoming residents, and quick response codes, Tagbilaran City has been pulling all the stops to curb the spread of the virus, the report reveals.
The report mentions that Tagbilaran City exceeded the 2020 annual target set by the Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF) in Business Taxes. Tagbilaran City’s actual collection was P266 million as against the BLGF’s annual target of P197 million.
Tagbilaran City’s Real Property Taxes (RPT) collection also exceeded the annual target set by the BLGF pegged at P39 million as against the City’s actual collection of P86 million, the report of the City Media Bureau stresses.